Top story: Labour leftwingers push for policy changes
Good morning. I’m Martin Farrer with the best news and views this Monday morning.
Jeremy Corbyn faces some tough wrangling on two very thorny policy issues, starting today when MPs vote on the plans to build a third runway at Heathrow. Corbyn and his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, are firm opponents of the expansion, but their stance is being undercut by the Unite union leader, Len McCluskey, who has written to Labour MPs urging them to back the idea in today’s parliamentary vote. He says the multibillion-pound scheme will provide vital, unionised jobs for years to come. On the Tory side of the house, arch-runway critic Boris Johnson has run into flak because he will be out of the country for the vote.
The Labour leader’s second headache comes in the more familiar form of Brexit as a group of party activists launch a pressure group to rally leftwing support for a “people’s vote” on a final Brexit deal. With Corbyn a conspicuous absentee on Saturday as 100,000 people marched in London calling for a second vote, the grassroots Labour for a People’s Vote group aims to force a vote on the issue at the party conference in September.
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It’s a knockout – It was only Panama, as they might be saying north of the border. But a win’s a win and England are through to the last 16 of the World Cup following their 6-1 rout of the hapless Central Americans. What’s more, they’re top of their group and have already won more games this time (two) than they managed in the last two World Cups put together (one). Barney Ronay was in Nizhny Novgorod and he manages to find even more cause for optimism, hailing England’s “gloriously fun shellacking” of not-very-good opponents. But, as he says, England have still to play a half-decent opponent, and “could yet bomb out horribly”. Next up are Belgium on Wednesday for the right to top the group.
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Visa review – Pressure is mounting for the Home Office to review the huge fees it charges for visa and immigration services as the fallout from the Windrush scandal continues to reverberate through Whitehall. David Bolt, the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, has called for evidence as he launches an inquiry into the charges, which include a £3,250 levy for indefinite leave for an adult dependent relative and £1,330 for an adult naturalisation application.
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Erdoğan triumphant – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has struck a regal tone after winning Turkey’s presidential election, telling a victory rally in Istanbul that democracy was the winner and that the country was “an example for the rest of the world”. The official state news agency said that Erdoğan had won a 52.54% share of the national vote, while the opposition CHP party’s candidate, Muharrem İnce, had 30.7%. Erdoğan, who now has sweeping powers to dismiss ministers and rule by decree, said his government would continue the fight against terror, before leading the crowd in a chant of “one nation, one flag, one country, one state”.
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Let it go – Buy-to-let landlords have forced house prices beyond the reach of at least 2 million families and must face curbs on tax breaks, a report by a Conservative thinktank recommends. It also calls for a stronger role for local councils and major reform of the planning system to allow communities rather than developers to lead the process. The report, written by Tory MP Neil O’Brien, says the balance between the rented and ownership sectors needed to change and that people needed to be discouraged from investing in buy-to-let properties.
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“I’m a hate magnet” – Roseanne Barr has made a tearful apology for the racist tweet that prompted the end to the revival of her eponymous sitcom. In her first interview since the controversy, Barr recorded a podcast interview in which she says she “never would have wittingly called any black person a monkey”. But having admitted wrong, she complained that people had not accepted her excuse that she was under the influence of the sleep drug Ambien when she sent the tweet. “They don’t accept my apology, or explanation. And I’ve made myself a hate magnet.”
World Cup
England may have scored six, but perhaps none of their celebrations matched that of Panama fans when Felipe Baloy notched a consolation goal. “The whole country explodes in a shared cry,” writes Fernando Cuenco in Panama City. “Beer flies through the air ... Several thousand people jump, celebrate, kiss and hug while Felipe Baloy’s goal is repeated over and over again on a giant screen.”
Elsewhere, Senegal and Japan kept alive their hopes of progressing from Group H with a 2-2 draw while a selection masterstroke from José Pékerman was rewarded with a performance in a 3-0 win over Poland. Groups A and B, including hosts Russia, Uruguay, Spain and Portugal, come to a conclusion later today, and the buildup has already begun.
Lunchtime read: The deadly business of tobacco
As part of our ongoing series on the international tobacco trade, health editor Sarah Boseley and photographer David Levene have been to Malawi where children are obliged to carry out backbreaking work on the family plots. Child labour in the industry is “rampant”, according to the International Labour Organization, with an estimated 1.3 million workers under the age of 14. One of them, Tiyamike Phiri, had to give up her schooling to help out with weeding and building earth banks for the plants in the baking African heat. Tobacco companies, such as the ultra-profitable British firm BAT, say they are working to end the use of child labour. But our investigation shows that the use of child labour is actually on the rise.
Sport
An unbeaten and freakishly nerveless century from Jos Buttler came to the rescue for England, as he almost singlehandedly secured a nailbiting one-wicket victory over Australia and thus a first 5-0 whitewash of their historic rivals in any format. Eddie Jones has been told there is no absolute guarantee he will remain as England’s head coach until the 2019 Rugby World Cup despite his team’s victory in the third Test against South Africa. Lewis Hamilton won the French Grand Prix to retake the F1 championship lead before hitting out at title rival Sebastian Vettel’s “tap on the wrist” at Circuit Paul Ricard. And England showed the best of rugby league in a dazzling win over New Zealand in Denver that was a shot in the arm for the game.
Business
After the Bank of International Settlements warned that a US-China trade war could spark a global downturn, Asian shares took fright and oil also dropped more than 1.5%. The US dollar dropped as well but the pound was flat at $1.326 and €1.138.
The papers
“Campaigners call for action over ‘disgraceful’ immigration fees”, is the Guardian’s main story today. The Mirror has “Britain’s plastic shame” about an investigation into bottles being sent to Bangladesh for children to sort. The Mail leads with a story on “Shocking trade in stolen UK passports”, and the Times has reports of “30,000 children in gangs”.
The Telegraph splashes with “Back Heathrow expansion to boost Brexit, MPs told”, the FT has “Beijing eases capital reserve rules to soften US tariff pain” and the Express report on “Police fury at Trump’s visit”.
But the most gleeful headline is the one on the front page of the Sun, which celebrates England’s 6-1 victory over Panama in the World Cup with a full-page picture of the celebrating team and the headline: “We believe in miracles ... You sixy thing”.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
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